Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, fonds français 24367
[Part 1]
» Full parent manuscript detail
General information
| Folios | 88 |
| Language | Language object (62) |
| Approx. date | c. 1250 to 1275 |
| Date notes | The Lancelot-Graal project has fourteenth century. The script, written above top line, with double compartment 'a' consistently with open upper compartment and long and straight 's' occurring in final position, suggests a potentially earlier date in the second half of the thirteenth century (cf. also the Arthurian Fiction database which has thirteenth century). The later date and location may be based on those of BnF, fr. 341, which is designated as the accompanying volume. However, the measurements of the layout, script and decorative programme seem to contradict this. |
| Place(s) of production | England or Northern FranceThe Lancelot-Graal project has England or Northern France. This location may be confirmed by the linguistic colouring of the copy. |
| First words of second recto folio | [f. 2ra] (et) estor ialaissent (et) li ch(eualie)r de sa (com)paignie (et) / |
| First words of last recto folio | [f. 88ra] (com)me je viue Car (con)uient que no(us) pourtons / |
| Incipit | [f. 1ra] A / pres ce que maistres gautiers maupot / traitiet desauentures del saint graal / assez soufisanmant si (com) il li sanbloit / si fu auis a roi hanri son signour / que ce ke il auoit fait ne deuoit / pais <sic> soffire ce il ne reco(n)toit la fin / de cels dont il auoit faite mencion (et) / (com)ment cil moruent (et) de cuj il auoit / les proeces ramentruans en son / liure . Et por ceu re(com)mensa il ceste / darri(n)ne p(ar)tie . Et q(ua)nt il lot en samble / mise si lapella la mort del rois / artu . por ceu q(ue) uers la fin de cest escrit est faite mencions (com)ment li / rois fu naures en la bataille de / salesbieres . (et) (com)ment il ce perti de / girfelt qui tant li fis (com)pai(n)gnie que / apres ne fu nus hom quj le ueist / uiuant si (com)mensa en teil meniere / ceste darrai(n)ne pertie / |
| Explicit | [f. 88rb] A landemain se parti li rois behors / de la Joeueuse guarde (et) renuoia / son sergent et son ch(eua)l(ie)r (et) mandait / a sez sergent q(ue) il feissent tel roi (com)me / il vouldroient car il ne reuiendrai / Jamaix si sen ala auecq(ue) lerseuecque / (et) auecq(ue) blioberis et usai auecque lez .ij. le remenant de sa uie po(ur) lamor no(st)re sig(nour) / Si se taist ore atant mestre ganieir map / de listoire de lancelot q(ue) tot a b(ie)n mene / afin selonc lez choze quar on auindre(n)t / et feniste ici son liure Ci outrement / que apres se non pourroit nus reco(n)teir / quil ne me(n)tit de ceste choze // Explicit // Si finit listoire du treshaul (et) / excellant ch(eua)l(ie)r lancel(ot) du lac . / Et la mort (et) la fin du roy artus Roi dangleterre // |
Material
| Material: | Material object (4) |
| Watermark: | |
| Condition: | Medium to lower quality vellum, with holes and stitches in the writing space. Damaged and repaired in numerous places. |
Structure
| Collation: | 1-108 (ff. 1-80) 117 (ff. 81-87) 121 (f. 88) |
| Quire structure: | The manuscript consists of quaternions. Only the final two quires diverge. The penultimate gathering of seven folios originally was a quaternion, the final folio of which was excised without loss of text and replaced by the singleton f. 88. A second set of quiremarks in the lower margin with .ii. corresponding to .xliiii. (f. 16v) and .iii. to .xlv. (f. 24v) possibly indicates that this portion was once part of a more voluminous copy, also including other branches of the Lancelot cycle. The foliation in roman numerals in the upper margin suggests that this copy was divided into the smaller parts at a relatively early stage. The annotation on f. 70v (cf. below) may also refer to a previous state of the manuscript. |
| Quire marks: | MSQuiremarkDisposition object (9) |
| Catchwords: | |
| Catchword disposition: | |
Physical description
| General illustration: | |
| General decoration: | The manuscript opens with a column-width puzzle initial (height: 10 lines) in red ink, decorated with simple flowers (trois and cinque feuilles). Some smaller puzzle initials (height: 4 lines) on f. 39ra, initial 'O' decorated with a rather cross-looking face; on f. 51ra decorated with flowers and f. 87ra, decorated with a figure on horseback. The larger initials are all associated with 'li contes' or larger subdivisions ('partie'). The text is further structured by plain initials in red ink (height: 2 lines; guide letters in the margin). Rubric is also used for line-fillers, particularly towards the end of the copy. |
| Evidence of readership: | On f. 1r, in the upper margin, old shelfmark 7076. On f. 70v, in the upper margin annotation in a cursiva hand: 'an cest romant ait xi (et) xxxviij rouge l?a?ttre / (et) ccc f?u?ol?s?'. |
| Foliations description: | Two sets of foliation, one in roman numerals centered in the upper margin, partially cut by the binder; the other in arabic numerals in the upper right corner of the recto. |
Mise en page
| Description 1 | Simple ruling pattern. |
| Page sampled | f. 86r |
| Layout | MSLayout object (3) |
| Page dimensions | 270x210 (mm) |
| Justification | 220x170 (mm) |
| Columns | 28mm between columns Column ruling present in Colours object (4) (RulingMaterials object (3) ) |
| Lines | 26Line ruling present in Colours object (4) (RulingMaterials object (3) ) |
| Rubrication | Red ink is used for decoration, initials, line fillers and the explicit. |
| Writing above top line? | False |
| Sample page layout: | |
Hand(s)
| Level of Execution: | Execution object (5) |
| Script | Script object (4) |
| Folio range | From f. 1ra to f. 48vb |
| Date | c. 1250 to 1275 |
| Scribe description: | The hand is not very consistent and evolves throughout the copy. A change of or a blunt pen may cause differences in the thickness of the letters. At the end of this part of the copy the writing slants to the right. The upper compartment of 'a' is consistenly open. The letter 'e' is tongued in final position. There is no diacritic on 'i'. |
| Notes | |
| Level of Execution: | Execution object (5) |
| Script | Script object (4) |
| Folio range | From f. 49ra to f. 88rb |
| Date | c. 1275 to 1300 |
| Scribe description: | This hand differs from the previous one in that it has distinctive litterae elongatae at the bottom of the writing space, particular straight 's' and 'f'. It is more modern in that the upper compartment of 'a' is sometimes closed. Both hands use 'northern' crossed tironian 'et'. |
| Notes | |